Hull burglary victim tells of ordeal as figures show rise in raids

Burglars spent an hour-and-a-half "rummaging" through a Hull couple's home as they slept upstairs, their victim has said.

Katie Gutherless said her property was targeted early on 21 April, with the culprits fleeing with both their cars.

She said: "You think you're safe in your own house. Somebody comes in and thinks they can take everything."

Ms Gutherless told of her ordeal as new figures showed a 15% rise in burglaries across the Humberside Police area.

CCTV obtained from elsewhere in the street recorded the intruders entering and leaving the property, she said.

Ms Gutherless recalled: "It was about 5 o'clock in the morning. My partner had come down and he realised the back door was open.

"I looked out of the window and realised neither of the cars were there. I came down, quite frantic, and realised that we had actually been broken into.

"They've been in that long as well. It's not just a quick, go in, get your keys and go out. They've rummaged around and took stuff."

CCTV later showed the burglars dumping one of the cars. The couple's other car is still missing.

Ms Gutherless said she was told by officers a youth had been charged and sentenced in respect of the break-in.

As a consequence of the raid, Ms Gutherless said the couple's insurance premiums had increased.

According to Humberside Police, nearly 4,000 burglaries and attempted burglaries were reported last year - a 15% increase on the previous year.

Ian Batchelor, a joiner, told how he had £17,000 worth of tools stolen from an outbuilding at his home in Winterton, North Lincolnshire.

He said: "I'd come out to let the dogs out and I noticed one of the doors was open to the workshop."

Two people were arrested in connection with that break-in, which happened on 11 July, he was told.

The impact of the raid was profound. With the tools of his trade gone, Mr Batchelor said he has had to "start from scratch again".

"Do I carry on?" he asked. "Or do I look for something else to do? They've shown how easy it is to just come and help themselves."

PC Jamie Steel passed on tips to residents to help reduce the likelihood of falling prey to burglars.

He said: "A cheap way is to just remove keys from your doors and windows and put them out of place. Put car keys where it's going to be difficult for someone to find them."

The officer also advised people to ensure any side gates are kept locked.

Humberside Police has "lots of different departments" tasked with preventing burglary, including its offender management team, he added.

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